Hello everybody, first of all I wish all of you had a wonderful Christmas and a happy new year. So today I had an app with my endo and he recommended to put me on a CGM, at first I did not want to because I have heard that it hurts more then putting on an insulin pump. I just wanted to hear from fellow diabetics who are on a CGM, does it hurt when you put it on? is it uncomfortable? and do you like it? My issue is that I'm thin with little fat and I keep thinking it is going to hurt. So if anybody wants to give me an idea on how it works I will appreciate it. Thank you.
I have used the MM CGM since 2006 and would not go one day without it. It saves pricking the fingers so much and you know if you BG is high or going low, so you know how to treat it. I am rather thin and I put the CGM in my upper thighs. The MM one does hurt sometimes when you put it in, but their new version, the Enlite is supposed to come out now soon. Once it is in you don't feel a thing. I leave mine in for 8 days and sometimes longer if they are giving correct readings.The other version, Dexcom, does not hurt I don't think.
Happy New Year Daisy!!! I am on Medtronic's Enlite sensors, i am very skinny and have no fat on my body. Enlite Sensors does not hurt.
You might want to try it daisy and see if you like it. If you don't find it useful you can stop at anytime.
I tried a CGM for a while but it wasn't worth it to me. It's hard to find enough decent pump infusion sites and the CGM used even more of my good skin. Plus the CGM isn't accurate enough for me. I can typically feel my blood sugar going up or down. Don't think I'll use a CGM until they're accurate enough to at least replace blood testing.
Hey Daisy, I can't believe your Endo recommended a CGM for you. That is fantastic. I had to plead with my doctors to look into a CGM after I read about them. I have been using the Dexcom 7 Plus for 2 years now and love it. They just came out with a new one, the Dexcom G4 Platinum that I can't wait to get. The new one has a new smaller device that's as small as an ipod and actually looks like it's from this century. :)
Putting in the sensor doesn't hurt at all. Much like an injection if you ask me. One stick and your set for at least a week. The only problems I ever hear about are concerning the adhesive that keeps the sensor stuck to your skin, sometimes it wears off a little to quick and you have to be McGyver and find some tape to keep it on till it's time to change it out.
Having more than six to eight snapshots a day of my blood sugar from fingersticks is really unbelievable. With a Dexcom CGM, you have a rough glucose reading every 5 minutes. And a running graph you can see 24/7. That is priceless. The other thing is the trend arrows. When you check your blood sugar, it just gives you a number. That's it. Make your move. Well...I'm 185 so I guess I'll take some insulin since about to eat lunch....But what if your 185 but dropping crazy fast!?! You have no idea with a finger stick. But with a trend of the last several hours in a CGM you can visibly see not only what your glucose level is, but also where it's going.
Note though, the readings in a CGM are estimates based on your interstitial fluid, not your blood. So those readings from your CGM should never replace finger sticks to check precisely what your blood sugar is. From my experience, the Dexcom is always within 20 or so points of where my glucose meter says I am. Good system. Only set back is that if you take Acetaminophen(Tylenol) your Dexcom sensor will go haywire. That's funny enough, the only drug interaction with the system that it can't handle. So, I just take Advil.
Hope any of this helps. Best of Luck always.
Hi Daisy,
The CGM has it's moments of hurting and not. It really depends on where you place it. The stomach area, buttocks and behind the arms have a little more meat to them so you may have a better chance of it not hurting in those areas. Maybe before you get a cgm you can test it out first to see whether or not you are going to like it. Most doctor offices let you try it first.
Does your insulin pump bother you at insertion? its not that much different. I have tried out three different CGM and the Dexcom seems to hurt the least to me anyways.
As far as being comfortable that really depends on where you place it, some sites become more tender than others. But. after a while you don't really notice it anyway. Its like when you first went on the pump you knew it was there for a while and it may have bothered you but then you completely forget its on you.
I hope I helped a little?